Sheffield Wednesday are back under the Hillsborough lights this evening as Championship side Wolves visit S6 in the second round of the Carabao Cup.
The game provides an immediate opportunity for Henrik Pedersen's side to respond to Friday night's 1-0 defeat to Bradford City, but it also presents the manager with an interesting balancing act.
Wednesday have already knocked out Championship opposition in this competition and another cup run would undoubtedly be enjoyable. But with a relatively small squad, injuries already beginning to bite and a League One campaign that has to remain the priority, progression is not the be-all and end-all.
Kick-off is at 7:45pm, with the game shown live on Sky Sports+.
The story so far
Wednesday's competitive campaign began in this competition with a 1-0 victory over Bolton Wanderers at Hillsborough.
Jamal Lowe scored the only goal as the Owls produced an encouraging performance to eliminate Championship opposition and give Pedersen his first competitive victory of the season.
That was followed by another win, this time 2-1 away at Leyton Orient on the opening weekend of the League One season. Callum Slattery and Lowe were on target as Wednesday returned from London with all three points.
Friday night brought the first setback.
A packed Hillsborough saw Bradford City leave with a 1-0 victory despite Wednesday having opportunities to take something from the game. The Owls registered 13 attempts, but only two were on target, with a lack of cutting edge ultimately proving costly.
There is little time to dwell on that result, with Wolves providing a considerably different challenge just four days later.
Pedersen expected to make changes
Pedersen has indicated that he intends to make changes on Tuesday, although the Wednesday boss has also said he will select a strong side.
That seems a sensible approach with another important League One fixture to come at Bromley on Saturday.
Ricardo Santos could be one of the biggest beneficiaries.
The summer signing finally made his Wednesday debut from the bench against Bradford after working his way back from a long-term injury. Tuesday looks like an ideal opportunity to get more competitive minutes into the centre-half, potentially alongside Sil Swinkels, who was on the bench on Friday.
Reece James could also make his first appearance since returning to Hillsborough. The 32-year-old rejoined Wednesday following a trial period and could allow Max Lowe to be given a breather.
There could also be a first Wednesday start for Kieran Morrison.
The Liverpool loanee produced a bright cameo from the bench against Bradford and immediately offered something different on the right. Providing he is available to feature in the competition, Tuesday would appear a natural opportunity to see more of the teenager.
Mason Burstow will be hoping for an opportunity through the middle, while Harry Gray impressed from the left against Bolton in the previous round.
Further changes could come in midfield. Barry Bannan and Billy Mitchell are important to Wednesday's League One plans and Pedersen may be reluctant to ask both to play significant minutes twice in four days.
That could potentially create an opportunity for Jarvis Thornton or Sean Fusire, while 17-year-old Will Grainger is another youngster pushing for involvement after appearing from the bench against Bolton.
Wednesday's injury situation
Pedersen's options have already been reduced by a number of injuries.
The most significant is Tyler Onyango, whose Wednesday league debut lasted just 14 minutes at Leyton Orient before he suffered an ACL injury. The midfielder now faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
Cole McGhee is also expected to be absent for several months after suffering a dislocated shoulder which required surgery.
George Brown continues his recovery from the hamstring problem which has kept him out since December, while Di'Shon Bernard has been moving closer to a return but missed the Bradford game.
It is another reason why Pedersen has to carefully manage his resources during this stage of the season.
Wolves arrive in good form
Wednesday's reward for beating Bolton is another test against Championship opposition – and Wolves arrive at Hillsborough having made an unbeaten start under new head coach César Peixoto.
They began their Championship campaign with a 2-2 draw against Blackburn Rovers before producing an impressive performance at Deepdale on Saturday, beating Preston North End 3-1.
Fer Lopez scored twice, with Adam Armstrong also on target, as Wolves collected their first league victory of the season.
Their Carabao Cup campaign has been equally convincing.
Wolves began their season with a 3-0 first-round victory over Port Vale, with Armstrong, André and Lopez scoring as the tie was effectively settled before half-time.
Across their opening three competitive fixtures, Wolves have therefore scored eight goals.
They will understandably arrive as favourites.
Wolves could rotate too
Peixoto selected a strong starting XI against Port Vale in the previous round, but Tuesday's position between two Championship fixtures could persuade him to make changes at Hillsborough.
Wales international Jordan James could be handed his first Wolves start after making his debut from the bench at Preston following his loan move from Rennes.
Tommy Doyle, Boubacar Traoré and David Møller Wolfe were also substitutes at Deepdale and could be among those given an opportunity.
Adam Armstrong made an immediate impact from the bench against Preston and offers another attacking option should Peixoto shuffle his pack.
Rotation should not be confused with Wolves fielding a weak side, though. The depth available to Peixoto means Wednesday will face a team containing plenty of Championship quality regardless of the starting XI.
Wolves team news
Wolves will be without Kieran Trippier and Yerson Mosquera after both suffered injuries against Blackburn.
Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Rafiki Said are progressing in their respective recoveries but Wolves have indicated neither is ready to return.
Goalkeeper Sam Johnstone has also been recovering following shoulder surgery and has been working towards a return to first-team action.
A familiar cup fixture
There is recent history between these sides at exactly this stage of the competition.
Wednesday hosted Wolves in the second round of the League Cup in August 2018.
Wolves were preparing for their first Premier League campaign following promotion under Nuno Espírito Santo and named a side which included Conor Coady, Romain Saïss, Adama Traoré and Morgan Gibbs-White.
The visitors eventually won 2-0.
Léo Bonatini broke the deadlock in the second half before Hélder Costa converted a penalty with five minutes remaining to secure Wolves' place in round three.
Wednesday will be hoping the 2026 meeting produces a different outcome.
Another cup run would be nice – but League One comes first
There is always something special about a cup run.
Get through a couple of rounds and suddenly the prospect of an away day at one of the Premier League's biggest clubs begins to appear on the horizon. For supporters, those are the fixtures and occasions that can make cup competitions memorable.
Wednesday supporters only need to look back to last season to understand that.
Circumstances at the club forced Wednesday to utilise an extremely young squad in this competition, and those players responded by producing some of the highlights of what was otherwise an incredibly difficult season.
But so much has changed since then.
Wednesday are rebuilding. There is a new-look first-team squad and, crucially, there is something tangible to play for in League One.
That has to influence how this competition is viewed.
Squad depth remains an issue and injuries have already removed several options from Pedersen's plans. The further Wednesday progress in the cup, the more midweek football is added to an already demanding schedule and the greater the burden placed on a relatively small group of senior players.
Tuesday should still be approached as a game Wednesday want to win. Nobody walks into Hillsborough hoping to get knocked out, and beating Wolves would represent another significant result against Championship opposition.
If Wednesday can progress and enjoy another cup run without compromising their league campaign, brilliant.
But there also has to be some perspective.
A respectable performance and defeat against a good Championship side would not represent a disaster. An attractive third-round draw might sound appealing, but Wednesday's success this season will not ultimately be measured by how far they progress in the Carabao Cup.
It will be measured by what happens in League One.
Tickets and away following
Wolves will be backed by a sold-out away allocation of 2,400 supporters at Hillsborough.
Tickets remain available to Wednesday supporters in all areas of the stadium.
Season ticket holders and members can purchase tickets for £15 for adults, £10 for seniors and under-22s and £5 for under-18s.
General sale prices are £17 for adults, £12 for seniors and under-22s and £6 for under-18s.
Supporters attending the fixture will receive 10 Ticket Priority Points.
Match details
Sheffield Wednesday v Wolverhampton Wanderers
Carabao Cup – Second Round
Tuesday 25 August 2026
Kick-off: 7:45pm
Hillsborough
TV: Sky Sports+
Wolves are favourites and understandably so. They are unbeaten, scoring freely and possess considerably greater depth than Wednesday currently have available.
But Bolton arrived at Hillsborough as Championship opposition in the previous round and left the competition.
Another upset would be very welcome.
If it doesn't come, however, there is a much bigger prize for this Wednesday side to concentrate on this season.